Monday November 3rd

Back into the old routine again. During the first two lessons I hung around in the drama area with L. Hoy, D. Verity and J. Beaumont – they’re rehearsing for the play on Wednesday – and since they needed a two way adaptor for the tape recorder I volunteered to go home and get one. It only took me twenty minutes there and back, quite good considering. The weather was bitterly cold in the morning with all frost on the ground.

In History I became involved in quite a lengthy debate with Ingham on what effect World War One had on the downfall of Tsarism – I said that considering all the turmoil within Russia the rôle of any external forces, while magnifying and accelerating the process, wouldn’t have swayed the issue – it was almost inevitable. He disagreed in a way.

During the day Lee mended my radio that he and the rest had broken during last Wednesday’s rehearsal and since I had nothing better to do (lying swine, I quite jumped at the chance) I went to after school rehearsals. I sat and watched, along with Deborah Blakey, and during the interval I said that the break (during which the audience was to listen to a prerecorded message from Churchill and very patriotic music) was too long, especially since all the audience had to look at was a green curtain. We suggested that some inter-scene activity should occur and after much discussion, during which the play seemed to be becoming embroiled in detail, they finally decided on a newspaper seller/street scene. Then, horror of horrors!, Crabtree roped me in. I was to saunter on with guitar slung over my back, sit down cross-legged on the table, twang a few notes and then saunter off. Crabtree has lent me her old green Kaftan and is bringing her Afghan coat – God!, during the run throughs I was awful – self-conscious and blushing. It’ll be worse because I’m near the audience. Oh God!!

EAS in the evening was the usual boring Jack Greaves /D. Kilpatrick combination. “Arcturus” is encountering printing problems and it’s likely that it’ll now appear as a 40 page edition, once a year. Afterwards, I went across to NB’s and watched the Monday film and “Film 80” before coming to bed at 11.45 pm.

This play; even though my rôle is minimal and I’m a non-speaker; it’s still going to be really bad. All those people watching me, so closely too! I’ll blush like mad, I know! I’d better go – my feet are killing me with cramp.